“Stock markets are indeed seeing a little Christmas rally,” John Plassard, vice president at Mirabaud Securities LLP, said in a Bloomberg article. “Yesterday’s better-than-expected U.S. jobless claims numbers extend the positive sentiment we’ve been seeing. Without major economic data out today, we should be facing a fairly quiet session.”

European stocks also strengthened as the euro currency strengthened. The euro traded as high as $1.3893, more than a two-year high, reports Barbara Kollmeyer for MarketWatch.